Music diary, June 20, 2026 The Haas sisters are just something else. Natalie has become perhaps the foremost cellist in the folk music scene both in America and in Europe, known particularly for her long standing work with the legendary Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser. Brittany has likewise made a great career that sees her among … Continue reading Natalie & Brittany Haas: North Node
Tag: fiddle
Johanna Juhola & Lena Jonsson: The Power of Polska
Music diary, April 27, 2026 ...so here I am, trying to recover from some superflu, or perhaps Covid, that's been grinding me down for over two weeks now. It's actually going away but when you're getting older and something like that hits you, you're flat on your back for a while. And that's why it's … Continue reading Johanna Juhola & Lena Jonsson: The Power of Polska
Ciarán Ó Maonaigh with Seán Óg Graham: Lost In Music (Caillte sa Cheol)
I may be a Celtic music fan (some friends probably think fanatic would be more appropriate) but I'm totally ignorant of many of the details of that vast scene. So when I'm informed that Ciarán Ó Maonaigh represents the Donegal fiddle tradition and comes from a background rich in making music, I can only go … Continue reading Ciarán Ó Maonaigh with Seán Óg Graham: Lost In Music (Caillte sa Cheol)
Aoife Ní Bhriain & Cormac McCarthy’s “Cosán Casta”: two masters create a unique musical presence
We humans love to label and categorize things. Be it animals, plants or historical periods, we like to see the world ordered and compartmentalized neatly into concepts that we can arrange and rearrange, that we can control. The same applies to arts where we slap labels of style and genre on to works whose creators … Continue reading Aoife Ní Bhriain & Cormac McCarthy’s “Cosán Casta”: two masters create a unique musical presence
A happy surprise: “Moment in Time” by The Gothard Sisters
I've never been much taken with the Gothard Sisters, the talented Celtic trio from the American Pacific Northwest. They started their musical careers very young indeed and now, as they have released their 17th (!!!) full length album, they are still young. Amazing. But there was always been something about their music that kept me … Continue reading A happy surprise: “Moment in Time” by The Gothard Sisters
Pettit & Gira’s “Here to Stay”: winning fiddle/cello mastery with excellent tunes
It's always super nice to discover by chance artists you have never heard of and find out they're great! That's what's happened to me this week when I came across the North American fiddle/cello combo of Jocelyn Pettit and Ellen Gira. They are 2024 Canadian Folk Music Award Winners so it's high time I became … Continue reading Pettit & Gira’s “Here to Stay”: winning fiddle/cello mastery with excellent tunes
Superb creativity: “How To Raise The Wind” by Sarah-Jane Summers & Juhani Silvola
If you have set your folk radar to scan the landscape a bit deeper, you may already be familiar with Sarah-Jane (fiddle, Scotland) and Juhani (guitars, Finland), both long time residents in Norway. Both have their own, widely respected careers in contemporary music but together, they have created several works that both retain and renew … Continue reading Superb creativity: “How To Raise The Wind” by Sarah-Jane Summers & Juhani Silvola
Salt House hits another 10/10 with “Scarrow”
Scarrow - faint light, reflection, the shadow of a crow or hill, the faint light from a wall. Something gleaming intermittently or indistinctly.ˈska(ˌ)rō. plural -s. Scots. Salt House's previous album, Riverwoods, was one of my absolute favorites of 2023, an utterly entracing, beautiful work that radiated nature in music. A couple of years have passed … Continue reading Salt House hits another 10/10 with “Scarrow”
Woodlands Bäckafall’s “Traditional Colours”: joyful and borderless northern folk
I feel almost silly, having to write another "oh this album makes me so happy!" review only a few days after I went joyfully bananas over Ampouailh's latest release. But here we go... Let's begin by noting that Woodlands and Bäckafall are two separate entities that created this album as a unit. Woodlands Duo: Kristina … Continue reading Woodlands Bäckafall’s “Traditional Colours”: joyful and borderless northern folk
Fergal Scahill & Ryan Molloy’s “The Gannet’s Dive” connects trad and (almost) classical
There's something about instrumental duos. The interplay between two musicians and their tools, nothing else. Everything is there to hear, everything hangs not only on the skills of the individual musician but just as much on their communication. The earlier Scahill-Molloy album One Day :: November Woods, from a few years ago, was a prime … Continue reading Fergal Scahill & Ryan Molloy’s “The Gannet’s Dive” connects trad and (almost) classical
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